


Awaken in the darkness

by Night_Queen3927



Series: Finding the Light [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bedside Vigils, Coma, Comatose Marinette, F/M, Friends visit, Gen, Hospitals, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, Loving Parents, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Sequel, They're mine, Worried Parents, Wounds, not graphic, three-quel?, what tags to add
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23622037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_Queen3927/pseuds/Night_Queen3927
Summary: Comas have two options for patients, to stay comatose forever or to wake up. Marinette chooses to wake up.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug's Parents, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Series: Finding the Light [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1531703
Comments: 43
Kudos: 334





	1. Blue skies (Blue eyes)

**Author's Note:**

> Don't own ML, don't wanna (except for the finance potential cause I'm not making any money with Covid). 
> 
> This has been in the works since mid-February. It was finished this week due to identity crises, health concerns of family and me, etc (More at end notes).
> 
> Warnings/Disclaimers:  
> #1: This is part of a series. If you haven't read the others, you don't have any chance of understanding what is going on with this. Whiners will be laughed at, comment printed for posterity so I have something to always laugh at.
> 
> #2: Marinette is in the hospital. There is no blood and gore, just descriptions of her injuries and hospital procedures

_Without the darkness, no one would be able to see the thousands of stars in the sky. The people who have been hurt turn to the darkness for comfort and protection._

The darkness is comforting, warm and gentle around Marinette. It’s a protective layer, preventing people from hunting her. It conceals her from Lila’s lies that carry barbs and poisons on them. Her classmates were lost in the darkness, unable to find Marinette to hurl recriminations and accusations at her.

“Are you ready to leave the Darkness, Marinette?” Kari asked, squeezing Marinette’s hands. “Are you ready to find the Light, Marinette?”

“Do I have to go?” Marinette asked, sounding small and young, a child worried about being hurt more. “I don’t want to hear Lila’s lies again.”

“Oh, Marinette.” Kari sighed, dropping to their knees and enfolding their arms around Marinette. “You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. You can stay in the Darkness for eternity if you want, you can find the Light, you can go somewhere else. You decide what you want to do.” Kari pressed a gentle kiss to Marinette’s forehead. “Do whatever makes you happy?”

Marinette gave Kari a blinding smile, eyes watery. “I think that I want to see Mama and Papa again. They’re in the Light so I need to go find the Light.”

“Then just start walking, Marinette. The Light wants you back, so any road that you take will lead you back there.” Kari said, standing up and pulling Marinette up with them. 

“Will you come with me?” Marinette tilted her head and nibbled on her lip. “I don’t want you to be alone in the Darkness forever.”

“I’ll walk with you.” Kari replied, dodging the question neatly. Squeezing Marinette’s hand, they continued, “Which direction shall we go?”

Humming softly to herself, Marinette pointed in a random direction. With a chuckle, Kari and Marinette set off together, walking into the Darkness. As time passed, the area surrounding Marinette and Kari became lighter, fading from a black to a dark grey to a light grey. 

“Kari, look!” Marinette exclaimed, dropping Kari’s hand and pointing into the distance. A circle of gentle light was visible surrounding a plain wooden door standing alone. “We found the Light!”

“Then run. Run, Marinette and catch the Light!” Kari exclaimed, giving Marinette a gentle shove.

“Will you come with me?” Marinette asked again, stumbling so that she could turn to look at Kari.

Kari smiled mournfully, eyes soft with sadness and the corners of their mouth upturned. “I’ll be right behind you. You should go first.”

Marinette gave Kari a bone-crushing hug then started jogging, looking over to shoulder to see Kari jogging behind her. As Marinette closed the distance between her and the door, she picked up speed and looked over her shoulder less frequently. With she was close enough to make out the pattern painted on the door, she was running at full speed, hair flowing behind her. When she was only a few feet away from the door, it swung open, showing a blinding white light. Marinette raced through the door, a joyous laugh echoing from her and eyes sparkling with joy.

Kari, who had stopped jogging as soon as Marinette had picked up enough speed, dipped their head. “Farewell, Marinette. I wish you all the best.” Kari reached out into the Darkness and pulled a black cloak out, fastening it around their shoulder. Pulling the hood over their head, their face was temporarily cast in shadows. “Time to continue my work.” With that, they vanished into the Darkness.

~-_~-_~-_~-_~-_

In a hospital room, curtains were drawn to provide a semblance of privacy between the two patients lying quietly in the room. 

In one of the beds was an old man, a neatly trimmed grey beard growing from his chin, and head kept shaved. An IV was connected to his arm, the needle covered with a blue bandage.. No one was at his bedside, the only sign that anyone had visited him was a vase of purple heather flowers that were starting to wilt and die. 

In the other bed was a young girl, with a white bandage wrapped around her head, covering the edges of her eye socket. Her black hair was gathered into a low ponytail on the opposite side of the head injury and showing signs of being recently brushed in its silky texture. An IV was connected to her right elbow, a pink bandage over it to keep it in place. A pink cast was wrapped around her left arm, forcing it to lay completely straight. Her legs were kept warm beneath the sheet, a bulge on her right leg revealing the presence of a cast.

On one side of her was a large man squeezed in a chair far too small for him, holding her hand loosely and snoring. On the other side was a petite woman, hair pulled back out of her wane face, hair folded on her lap. Her eyes were fixed on the young girl yet drooping as they started to lose the battle against exhaustion. A vase of Windmill Pink flowers stood on the stand next to the bed.

A faint groan was heard and a single eyelid was cracked open. A silver of a blue iris was revealed underneath the eyelid. Slowly, as if the warriors of the Amazon were holding them down, the eyelids were forced completely open. Pink lips pulled themselves apart, chapped and dry creating discomfort. Voice quiet and hoarse, a voice said, “Mama? Papa?”, falling into a coughing fit.

The large man and petite woman both startled awake and started fussing over the young girl. They bombarded her with questions, adjusting blankets and pillows, holding her hands. Suddenly beeping echoed through the room, the spikes on a monitor going crazy, sharp dips and peaks visible.

“Code Blue in room 3927, patient 2! Code Blue in room 3827, patient 2!” A voice over the speaker announced, calm and collected.

A nurse burst into the room, pushing a crash cart and a doctor hot on his heels. “Out of the way! Move away from the patient.” The man and woman jumped back, allowing the nurse to push his cart next to the bed and the doctor going to the opposite side.

“She has low blood pressure! Push fluids!” The doctor ordered, examining the machines. Suddenly, the monitor flatlined and a steady beep was emitted. “Damn it! She’s going into cardiac arrest! Charge the paddles to 200!” The nurse handed over the paddles and charged them up. “Clear!” Pressing down, the doctor shocked the young girl’s heart. Glancing at the monitor, the line was still flat. “Charge to 300! Clear!” A second passed to allow the nurse to get away, and the paddles sent another electrical charge through the girl’s body, causing her to buck in the bed. Finally, the monitor resumed displaying normal heart activity and the beeping ceased.

“What just happened, Doctor?” The petite woman asked, eyes wide and chewing on her lower lip. “Why did Marinette’s heart just stop? She woke up, doesn’t that mean that she’s okay?”

“Mme. Cheng, your daughter was in a coma. Comas, by their very nature, have the potential for several different types of medical emergencies both during it and after the patient wakes up. This does include cardiac arrests for a variety of reasons.” The doctor said, snatching the clipboard off the base of the bed. Flipping through the pages, he pulled a pen out of a pocket and added a notation of what had happened. “You said that she woke up?”

“Oui! She opened her eyes and said our names! Well, she said ‘mama’ and ‘papa’. Not our first names, she doesn’t call us Sabine and Tom.” Sabine Cheng stumbled over her words, everything tumbling out at once and confusing her.

“Well, in that case, it seems like Marinette is starting to come out of her coma.” The doctor hummed, adding some more notes to the page that he was writing on. “That is good news, it means that she’s unlikely to remain comatose for much longer.”

“When will she wake up?” Tom Dupain asked, voice deep yet holding the slightest waver.

“It is hard to know for sure.” The doctor hooked the notebook back over the end of the bed and slipped his pen back into his pocket. “She could wake up in the next minute or next week. However, we will be monitoring her very closely from now on. It is critical that when she does wake up and stay awake, that we check all of her motor functions, her brain functions, everything.”

“Can she hear us now? Will our voices help her wake?” Sabine begged to know, eyes watering. “Please! We need to know.”

“Many coma patients report that they can hear the voices of those who spoke to them, that they fought to wake up because of a parent’s recollections, a lover’s lament, a friend’s story, a sibling’s teasing. It is impossible for us to know as they rarely recall what happened while comatose.” The doctor turned on his heel and headed for the door. “I’ll inform the nurses about this, they’ll be monitoring Marinette.” Pausing and looking back over his shoulder, he added in a quiet voice, “Take heart, younger people do tend to come out of comas faster and with less health complications.” With that he vanished out the door, white coat turning the corner.

“Just think, Tom.” Sabine sniffled, turning and burying her face into his chest. “She could wake up soon and enjoy this weather. She has always loved blue skies, said that it inspires her fashion.”

“That’s our saying, _mi tesoro_. The brighter the blue skies, the brighter our daughter’s blue eyes.” Tom whispered, stroking down Sabine’s back.


	2. Voices in my head (Voices in my room)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People come to visit Marinette in her coma, spilling their hearts out to her. All regret the path of events that lead to her ending up in the hospital bed, limp and lifeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing has changed in 2 weeks, still don't own ML, still don't want to with the writing going on.
> 
> No trigger warnings other than the fact that Marinette is still in the hospital, but that is more background than anything.
> 
> For this section the italics are Marinette's thoughts, so they aren't words spoken out loud, unless they are enclosed within the quotation marks.

“Can you hear me? Marinette, blink once if you can hear me.” A voice echoed in the fuzzy room. A figure was bent over her, face a blurry blob with black hair floating around it. Laboriously, Marinette closed her eyelids and dragged them back up. The figure turned and shouted down the hall, words that were indistinguishable to Marinette’s exhausted brain. Slowly, her eyes slipped shut again, her world turning to black.

~-_~-_~-_~-_~-_

“Marinette. Can you hear me, Marinette?” A soft voice asked, gently placing pressure on her hand. “I got my Father to let me come and visit you. I’ll have to do more modelling this weekend in exchange though. It’ll be worth it though.”

_Modelling? No. Not good. Sick. Hurt. Hungry. Protect him._ Marinette’s hand tightened slightly, barely hard enough to be felt, trying her hardest to keep him with her.

“Don’t worry, Marinette. I’ll be able to stay here for a while more.” The voice laughed softly, and they squeezed Marinette’s weak hand. “Father thinks that the story of his son visiting his bed-ridden companion in a coma will boost the sale of the stock of the Gabriel brand. Even when my friend is in a coma, he’s focused on his company.”

_Sad. Regret. Bad parent. Friends important. Thank you. Family first._ Marinette’s thoughts were muddled, only emotions and core feelings making themselves clear. With a deep breath, her eyes opened a crack to see a head of messy, blond hair over soft, green eyes. _Friend. Misunderstanding_

“Everyone at school is really worried about you, Marinette. Alya ripped into me when I tried to defend Lila. I thought that she was only lying about what she had done. I swear that if I had known that she had actually touched you, I would’ve gotten Father to use his lawyers to sue.” Adrien said, running his thumb over the back of Marinette’s hand. “I’m just so tired of all the Akumas coming from Collège Françoise Dupont, and I was terrified that Father would’ve pulled me out if he learned that Lila had been Akumatized. Did you know that she was reporting to Father about all my activities? I didn’t. I just thought that she was a stalker.”

_Liar. Thief. Bad person. Her fault._

“I know. I should’ve been better and actually used my brain. I was just so scared of being taken away from all of you.” Adrien huffed out a watery laugh, and a drop of liquid dropped on Marinette’s hand. “You were my first friend that I decided on, Marinette. You didn’t let me get away with what you saw as a wrong even though anyone else would have.”

_Overreacted. Bully bad. Gum mean. Mean bully. Sorry. Friends now._

“Anyway, I have about an hour until Liam comes to chauffeur me home. I thought that I would just update you on my life since you” At this Adrien, hesitated, unsure of what words to use. Biting the bullet, he went for blunt words, “were pushed down the stairs by Lila. Anyway, Father has actually cut back on my modelling hours. When I tried to convince him to defend Lila, apparently he realized something was wrong. He said something about how he accidentally stunted my social growth. So now, I have 3 shoots a week, all after we finish classes, and one is always on Saturday so I have time during the week to work on schoolwork.”

_Good. Better Father. Not best._ Marinette sank back into the darkness with Adrien’s voice detailing his activities.

~-_~-_~-_~-_~-_

“Hey, girl.” A weight deposited itself on the bed by Marinette’s feet, shifting back and forth. “Your parents let me in for a bit, for like 15 minutes. I guess that they still don’t trust me.” A sardonic laugh was forced out. “Not that I blame them. I was a really sucky best friend.”

_Best friend? Trust broken. Hurt._

“I really just wanted to say sorry. I know that it’s not an excuse but I was just so caught up in Lila’s stories. You know how much I want to be a big name journalist, one that writes for _Le Monde_ , or _Le Figaro_ , or maybe _Le Parisien_ , and I thought that her stories would help me with that. C'est trop beau pour être vrai, but I didn’t see that.” Alya sighed, gently placing her hand on Marinette’s cast-covered leg.

_Liar. Good Liar. Still hurt. Understand why._

“Enough of my excuses.” Alya quietly scolded herself, hand tightening slightly on Marinette’s leg. “Je te demande pardon. Je ne voulais pas te blesser.”

_You understand? True apology? Forgive later. Thank you._

“That’s it, girl. I guess that I should leave you now, your parents are looking at me now. I love you, girl. I hope that when you wake up that we’re still friends.” Alya bent over and gently enclosed Marinette’s limp body with her arms in a hug. “See you when you wake up.”

~-_~-_~-_~-_~-_

“Mme. Cheng, M. Dupain, would you mind if I talked to Marinette briefly. I feel that there is something that I need to share with her, even if there is no proof that she can actually hear me.” A voice said, the owner obviously very straight-laced.

“Go ahead, Max. We’ll just stay on this side of Marinette.” A female voice said, exhausted and broken.

“Thank you, Mme. Cheng.” Max said, voice sharp. A small squeak was heard as he sharply rotated on his heel to walk to Marinette’s bed.

_Gamer? Here? Distant friend. More acquaintances. Favors given. Favors repaid._

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, “ Max started, back straight as if pressed against a wall. “I would like to apologize. I pride myself on being smart and clever, and that is what many others have designated me as. This is shown with nicknames bestowed upon me such as ‘smart guy’, ‘smart-aleck’, ‘geek’, ‘nerd’.”

_Nicknames? Some. Some bad. Some good. Boxed in. Not good._

“I would like to offer my apologies for being so easily duped by Lila Rossi. I did not live up to my nicknames or my reputations as a smart and clever person. While I do not believe in excuses, I can offer a reason. My skills with interacting socially with my peers are not good, which is why I rely heavily on Kim to help me in social situations. When Kim and the others in the class made no sign of believing that she lied, or mentioning doubt, I ignored my calculations.” Max paused to take in a deep breath, glasses being pushed back up his nose.

_I know. Should’ve helped. Math mind. Statistics first. Challenger helps._

“Regardless, you were protesting that Lila was a liar, and I should’ve gone to you with my suspicions. I apologize for three things: firstly that I was easily duped by Lila Rossi, secondly that I didn’t voice any of my concerns or calculations to anyone else in the class, and thirdly that I never went to you to offer the statistics that I had calculated.” 

_Still angry. Still mad. Understand you. Will forgive. Need time._

“I hope that when you come out of this coma, which according to my research is likely based on your age, previous health, and cause of injury, we will be able to resume our previous relationship, as well as potentially grow closer until we can be classified as friends.”

_Silly boy. Just try. Natural friendship. Kind Gamer. Nice Gamer. Just try._

“Mme. Cheng, M. Dupain. Thank you for allowing me to come and offer my apologies to Marinette. I will reiterate it when she wakes up, to ensure that she hears it completely. Goodbye and have a pleasant day.” With that, Max turned and walked out of the room.

~-_~-_~-_~-_~-_

“Can you see the sun far above? He is giving you all of his love. Can you see the moon, so soft and light? She’s sharing her love, so bright.” The male voice paused, as the sound of a guitar filled the room. “ Can you see the stars, twinkling above the bay? They’re shining softly, guiding the way.”

“Luka?”

“Yes, Mme. Cheng?” Luka asked, pausing in his song.

“Your sister is here. Do you mind if she visits Marinette while you are still here?

“Not at all, Mme. Cheng. Marinette’s song is always better with others around.” Luka smiled, strumming his guitar softer. “Besides, I should be thanking you for allowing me to stay so long.”

“Marinette counted you as an amazing friend, Luka. It’s only right that you can sit with her. Tom and I are going to go get lunch. Please text us if anything changes.” Sabine smiled gently, before turning to face Juleka. “Juleka, dear, you can go in now. Please don’t disturb her too much.”

“Thank you, Mme. Cheng.” Juleka slipped into the room, silent as a ghost, bangs covering her eyes. “Hello, Luka. Your song is sounding better. Marinette’s song is louder too.”

“Yeah. I think that Marinette will wake up soon.” Luka said, pausing in his strumming to tuck a lock of hair behind Marinette’s ear. “Why did you come here, Jules?”

“I wanted to see Marinette.”

“And?” Luka arched an eyebrow, voice waiting for his sister to continue.

“I needed to say sorry. Mom said that my song was stuttering, like it was being suffocated.” Juleka said, gracefully sitting in a chair opposite Luka. “I knew that I needed to at least confront my feelings, and so I needed to apologize to Marinette.”

“Here she is.” Luka gestured to Marinette lying quietly in her hospital bed. “She almost looks like Snow White, doesn’t she. Hair black as night, pink lips, and pale skin. As well as in a coma that a wicked witch put her in.”

“Marinette, I’m sorry. Aside from Rose, you were one of the first people to ever see me. You broke my class photo curse so that for the first time, I was in it.” Juleka paused to brush her hair out of her eyes, discreetly catching a few tears. “And I repaid you by flocking to Lila and her stories. I guess that I just wanted to imagine myself in those stories, that everyone saw me for once.”

“Jules, you should’ve come to me or Mom if you were feeling that way.” Luka stood up, swinging his guitar on his back. He walked over to his sister and pulled her into a hug, tucking his nose into her hair. “I’m sure that Marinette will understand why. Just wait for her to wake up.”

A quiet groan echoed in the still room, the girl in the bed prying open her eyes. A raspy voice said two words, “Mama? Papa?”

Luka dodged around his sister to press the nurse’s call button on Marinette’s bed, and pulled out his mobile. Fingers flying, he typed out a message to Tom Dupain and Sabine Chen, ‘Marinette’s awake’.  
A nurse darted into the room, a doctor hot on their heels, and barked out, “What is happening?”

“Marinette woke up.” Juleka said, pointing at Marinette who was struggling to sit up.

The doctor took control of the room, gently pulling Luka away from Marinette’s bedside and taking his place. Pulling a penlight out of his pocket and shining it into Marinette’s eyes, the doctor started talking, “My name is Doctor Bernard. Do you know why you are here?” Marinette shook her head. “Do you know your name?” Marinette nodded. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Doctor.”

“Excellent. What is the last thing that you remember?” 

“I left the pâtisserie and was heading to school. Mama and Papa had just finished baking the bread and Mama was decorating the pastries.” Marinette said, chewing her lip as she strained to remember the events. “After that, it is just black.”

“Marinette, do you remember who this is?” The doctor pulled Luka to his side, “Can you tell me his name?”

Marinette frowned, brows furrowing, and worried her lip. “Music. Heart song. A boat and a pirate. A cat and a guitar. You are connected to that but I don’t know your name.”

The doctor jotted something down on his clipboard, turned and beckoned Juleka to his side. “Do you remember who this is? Can you tell me her name?”

Marinette’s blue eyes turned from Luka to Juleka, no spark of recognition appearing. “Fashion. Quiet. Flowers. Dark and Light. Invisible but not. What is your name?”

“Doctor, the patient’s parents are outside. Should I let them in?” The nurse asked, hand on the door knob. When the doctor gave a short nod, the nurse opened the door, allowing Sabine and Tom through the doorway. Both rushed to stand by their daughter, tears welling up in their eyes at the sight of Marinette sitting up, looking around, and talking.

“Marinette.” The doctor called her attention back to him. “Can you tell me who these people are?”

“Mama and Papa.” Marinette answered, finger pointing first at Sabine and then at Tom.

“Excellent. Can you tell me more about them?” The doctor prodded, wanting more information.

“Mama and Papa both like knowing my romantic life and poke around to learn about it sometimes. They always help others, even if they don't know them. Mama is an amazing baker and can fight with a bo staff if needed. Papa and I play video games together, and I win sometimes.” Marinette said, weighing each word carefully.

Gently, the doctor set a hand on Luka’s and Juleka’s shoulders, escorting them to the door. “Children, I’m afraid that you will have to wait outside while I discuss things with Marinette’s parents. I’m sure that they’ll tell you later what you need to know.” Calling the nurse over, he asked, “Berger, please escort these two to the waiting area by the elevators. Thank you.” With that he shut the door and beckoned the parents over to him.

“Doctor, what is happening?” Tom asked, voice quiet.

“It appears like Marinette has selective amnesia from what happened. She could not identify either of her friends by name however she remembers traits that she presumably associates with them.” The doctor explained, writing more on the clipboard. “However, as she remembers you and recent events, I’m guessing that it isn’t extremely severe. Could you elaborate on how she met the children that were just in here?”

“She met Juleka in her class at the start of the year.” Sabine started, glancing up at Tom. “They became friends after she helped her join the class picture breaking her curse. Luka, she met him when she was working with some of her other classmates to set up for a music festival.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but the reason that Marinette is in the hospital is because one of her classmates pushed her down the stairs.” The doctor stated, checking the page that listed the reason for admittance into the hospital. “She had several lacerations, a few broken bones, a head injury, and blood loss.” Tom and Sabine both nodded. “Here is my working theory. Marinette suffered a traumatic event, someone willingly shoving her down stairs, which is dangerous on its own, but the concrete floor added more danger. Many people who suffer from traumatic injury have repressed the memory so that they can heal. Marinette has just taken it a bit farther, she has repressed all the names of classmates and people who she only knows because of her classmates, but remembers facts about them such as how they met and characteristics.”

“Are you sure?” Tom asked, eyes wide and brows tilted up. “Marinette loves her friends, she’d do anything to help them. I find it hard to believe that she’d forget them.”

“No. I’m not sure. You’d have to show her more pictures of her friends and see if the behavior persists.” The doctor tucked his pen back into his pocket. “But she definitely has some form of amnesia. She has forgotten the names of two of her friends, and a chunk of the day that she was attacked.”

“Will she ever remember?” Sabine burst out, voice watery and on the edge of tears.

“I don’t know. She could remember tomorrow or in 50 years or never. You’ll just need to be patient, and understanding, and remember most of all that she needs time and care.” The doctor said, hanging the clipboard on Marinette’s bed. Marinette had fallen back asleep, chest slowly rising and falling. Walking to the door, the doctor paused and added, “I’ll send a nurse in with information on caring for someone with amnesia. Just don’t give up hope and remember that at the core, Marinette is still the same person.” With that the doctor left, firmly shutting the door behind him. 

Tom and Sabine both sank to the floor, cradling each other and drawing strength from each other, hoping that as a family, all of them would be able to survive.

They wept for the lost memories.

They wept for the injuries suffered.

They wept for the harm done upon their treasure, their only child.

But most of all, they wept for Marinette and everything that she had gone through and would have to go through in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and hope it was worthwhile.
> 
> As always, problems spelling/grammar/punctuation/whatever might exist, and I'd be grateful if you point them out.
> 
> 'Je te demande pardon. Je ne voulais pas te blesser.' is french (Obviously, consider where ML is set) and it means 'Please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you.'  
> 'c'est trop beau pour être vrai' is also french, and it means 'it's too good to be true'.
> 
> The little song that Luka is singing is mine, I made it up. Or at the very least, I've never come across it before.
> 
> This story is meant to be a stand-alone, but I reserve the right to continue it as a series later if/when the muse hits me again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and hope it was worth the time. I'll definitely expand this to cover her actually waking up in the hospital (don't know when, it depends on different factors)
> 
> As always, pointing out grammar/spelling/punctuations/other shit is always welcomed and appreciated. I promise not to be mad about it, pinky promise/scout's honor/whatever promise you do.
> 
> I'm not a doctor, have no medical knowledge aside from YouTube/google/tv shows, so I know that what I described might not be real. I really don't care, I'm using my license as author to do what I want.
> 
> Why this took so long:
> 
> Health concerns: Covid obviously, my grandma has lung issues and my grandpa has heart problems, my mama has a chronic disease that lands her in the hospital if shit happens and none of us wants to experiment and see what would happen with Covid.
> 
> Identity crisis: Figured out I'm asexual like late spring last year.  
> Tried to get into a romantic relationship, but all I felt was nope! don't want this! So I had a romantic identity crisis and decided I was mostly likely aromantic or extremely Demi(As in if we aren't very good friends, no romance).  
> Then I had a gender crisis with some very nice helpings of dysphoria mainly around my hips, then it went away, then it came back. Finally pinned it down as being genderfluid (That took quite a lot of research, but my college had lots of LGBTQIA+ support).  
> Also had religion crisis. Realized that Christianity wasn't my belief anymore and more research ensued. Finally, I landed with pagan/wicca as the religion that fit me and that helped with my stresses(for a while).
> 
> Mental: All of the above plus transitioning to online learning (Learning organic chemistry online is a very hard) sent me into severe anxiety, panic attacks, mild depression. Fun.


End file.
